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Women have always been known to be community-oriented, which is why it’s no surprise that women more frequently use social networks. This study details how women use social media and what they look at and are looking for. Read on to find out how you can tune your marketing strategy to appeal to this niche. – WST

By: Julie Kent

SheSpeaks.com conducted a great survey of women’s online and computer habits, and published the results in a comprehensive 65-page document. It’s a fascinating study that looks mainly at women’s social habits online, and most definitely has implications for online marketing. Looking at the results of this study can help you tailor your marketing campaigns to effectively, rather than ineffectively, reach out to women.

Shopping & Social

Not surprisingly, the top activity for women online is shopping. The third most popular activity is social networking, which is also not a surprise given the stereotype that women just love to talk. The fact that both of these activities are very popular with women means that there is also some cross-over issues to consider. If women like to shop online, they’re likely to talk about that online and there are probably certain kinds of marketing tactics that will work better with them.

One of the first very obvious things that this study shows is that women of all ages are very active in social networks. Younger women are more active and have more contacts than older women, but a sizeable number of 40+ are taking advantage of social networking, and in some cases are more engaged than their younger peers.

Making up half the world’s population, “women” is a pretty large group. Within that group, then, you’d expect some different patterns of behavior to emerge. The biggest differences can be seen in different age groups – under 30’s and 40-somethings on up. With most 30 and unders having grown up with computers, it’s not surprising.

Key Findings of the Study

Here are some of the key findings for the two groups:

Younger women:

* Are more likely to say “connect with others” as top online activity (73%), compared to 40+ women (31%).
* Are more likey to look at consumer generated content (28%) than 40+ (10%).
* Are more likely to have profiles. 86% of 30 & under have profiles.
* Facebook and MySpace are most popular (78% and 79%)
* LinkedIn is more popular with high earners (41% for HHI $120K+ vs. 17% overall)

Older women are:

* 45% of 40+ have profiles.
* More active than younger women on Classmates (42% vs 19% for <30s).
* Facebook and MySpace are most popular (65% and 63%)
* LinkedIn is more popular with high earners (41% for HHI $120K+ vs. 17% overall)

None of those findings are really all that earth-shattering. Perhaps most surprising, however, is the high numbers of older women (40+) that are using social networks. It appears that while a majority of women join these networks to “connect” or “reconnect” (61% and 66%), there are also other factors at play. Younger women are most likely to join connect, reconnect, and share photos. A high proportion of older women, on the otherhand, join to keep an eye on their kids’ online activites, especially those with children ages 13 to 17.

Women aren’t just signing up and forgetting about their profiles and connections either. Half of all women log into social networks everyday. Two-thirds of under 30’s log-in daily, and 41% of 40+ log-in daily.

So what do Women do on Social Networks?

When you get a bunch of women together, who most enjoy shopping online and talking, what exactly do they talk about? 62% of all women talk about products, and 71% of those with children ages 13 to 17 talk about products. What kind of products do they talk about? The most talked about category of products on social networks by women is beauty products. After that food/restaurants and movies/entertainment were also popular, especially amongst younger women.

How do women feel about ads?

Women generally do not have good feelings about ads. 26% said they actively ignore ads, and another 20% said they are annoyed by ads. A few notice interesting ads once in awhile, but only about 2% ever actually click on an ad.

It’s true, older generations are logging on to Facebook and signing up. Although, the 55 and over group isn’t as active as the younger groups, they are starting to recognize the value of social media and marketing. When I first started online marketing, I was the old guy. Now I see my generation recognizing the value of the Internet and how effective it can be for driving traffic and sales to businesses. It starts with social media. – WST

By: Glenn Gabe

Facebook is estimated to have 70.2 million unique visitors per month in the United States according to comScore. Social networking is booming, everyone is friending, following, tweeting, tagging, and grandma and grandpa are getting involved too. Wait a minute, did I just say grandma and grandpa? That’s what some recent Facebook research has shown. It seems the fastest growing demographic on the social networking giant is women 55 and older. That segment grew by 175% in February 2009, while men 55 and older grew by 137%.

I was definitely excited to see the data. I’m a big believer in social networking and love to see people in that age group join a site like Facebook. That said, reality set in a few days later. I ended up speaking with someone 66 years old who needed my assistance with their email account. Like many of you reading this post, I usually end up being the point person for technology-related questions for friends and family. I had an interesting few minutes on a phone call with her. Here’s a quick transcript:

Her: I can’t seem to find some emails I’ve written.
Me: Did you check your sent items?
Her: I’m in my email already. Where are my sent items?
Me: It’s the folder labeled “Sent Items” in Microsoft Outlook.
Her: I don’t think I’m using Outlook…
Me: What are you using to check your email?
Her: The e with a circle around it (AKA: Internet Explorer)
Me: OK, so it’s web-based mail.
Her: No, it’s on my computer.
Me: Yes, but you are accessing your email on the web. I can help you. What’s your email address so I can send you some instructions?
Her: I’m not sure, hold on.
Me: Jumping off roof now. 🙂

That conversation reminded me that not everyone is tech savvy. We come with computer chips built into our brains. Our kids instinctively know how to text and have built in wi-fi. But, we also grew up using computers on a regular basis. People that are 55 and older didn’t… We were typically the ones introducing computers and explaining how to use them. Needless to say, there’s a big difference between the various age groups and how they utilize new technology.

My 3 Degrees of 55 and Older

After the phone call, I started thinking about people 55 and older and the data I saw about Facebook. I’ll be honest, I started having doubts that many people 55 and older are jamming on Facebook, tagging photos, using apps, providing status updates, and grabbing their vanity URL’s. So, why was I skeptical? My parents are in that age group, and all of their friends. My in-laws are in that age group, and all of their friends. In addition, all of my friends’ parents are in that age group, so on and so forth. So, I like to think I have a pretty good feel for that demographic, based on interactions I’ve had with them over the past few years.

They Are Signing Up, But Not Coming Back…

The initial data I read showed that people 55 and older was a fast growing segment for Facebook (with women over 55 being the fastest growing). But, recent data revealed that although they were signing up, they were not returning to Facebook. Unfortunately, that did make a lot of sense to me. I can only imagine someone 65 years old hearing about Facebook from their children or grandchildren, signing up, and looking at their blank profile thinking, “What the heck is this??”

Getting My Own Data

Although reading all of this data about people 55 and older was great, it wasn’t sufficient for me. I wanted to know more. So I decided to collect some of my own data! I reached out to my network of friends and family with a quick Facebook questionnaire. I came up with five simple questions to try and understand how people 55 and older were using Facebook. I sent an email to my network and waited patiently for the data to come in. It didn’t take long to start receiving responses. Some of the emails cracked me up, others surprised me, and most reinforced what I thought. Here are the five questions I sent out:

1. Are you currently on Facebook?
2. If yes, what do you use it for?
3. How often do you visit Facebook per day, week, and month?
4. Do you enjoy Facebook? Why or why not?
5. Do you plan to join other social networks like Facebook in the near future (over the next 6 months to year?)

I ended up receiving 57 responses from people 55 and older.

A quick disclaimer before I reveal the data. This is obviously not a scientific study, nor was it meant to be. I just wanted to receive feedback from a trusted group of people that were 55 and older to see if and how they use Facebook. Let’s see what they had to say.

Lots of No’s, But There is Hope

As I started receiving responses, I saw a quick trend. NO. That’s the overwhelming response I received to question one (Are you currently on Facebook?) It ends up that 80% of the respondents were not on Facebook. When someone did choose to elaborate, I received some funny responses. For example, I found out about one man who isn’t on Facebook and also refuses to upgrade to broadband. I think the exact quote was, “Dial-up is fast enough!” I laughed out loud and couldn’t help but think that his response was something right out of an episode of Seinfeld. 🙂 Another comment that cracked me up was, “I think I was there once.” Wow, Facebook made such a big impression on her that she didn’t even know if she was on the site! Although I was hoping to see more people from this group on Facebook, I had a feeling this would be the case. Then I opened a few emails that gave me hope…

Wait, Facebook Can Be Helpful!

Sprinkled in with the no’s were some great responses supporting Facebook. These enthusiastic responses made me think there is hope. The first one that struck me was from a friend’s mother-in-law. Her enthusiasm about Facebook jumped off the page. Literally, if she could friend me, tag my photo, challenge me to a trivia game, and become a fan of my Facebook page, I think she would. She explained how much she loves Facebook, how she keeps up with her children and grandchildren, and loves seeing everyone’s status updates, photos, video, etc. She logs in a few times per day. Yes, she was the exception, but she got it (big time).

After reading her story, I received a few more no’s and then another great response came in. This time from a friend’s father, who logs in a few times per week to see what his kids are doing, he searches for people he went to college with, connected with some of them online and offline, etc. It was another great example of someone using Facebook in smart ways. He seemed to really like it.

The keys to success are always within reach. However, we need to remember that time and effort plays a big role in the equation. A successful person is one who is not afraid of failure despite the circumstances. Scarlett O’Hara is no different. Like a small business, O’Hara uses what’s available to her in order to achieve success. She does not give up, is resourceful and cut throat. A successful business online can relate specifically to the following examples. – WST

By: Alicia Forest

I think if you’ve been a survivor of any sort, you can relate to Scarlett O’Hara from Gone with the Wind. Sure, she used her womanly wiles to get what she wanted, but hey… who hasn’t? (And men, you’ve got ‘wiles’ of your own, so don’t think you’re off the hook.)

When Scarlett tore down her mother’s green velvet drapes to make the dress that ultimately saved Tara from the tax collectors, it was ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ in action. It’s sheer ingenuity to look at those curtains, one of the only things left by the Yankees, and see a fancy dress that could be the solution to her problem.

Scarlett was smart, savvy and had the spitfire spirit of her successful entreprenuerial-minded immigrant father. Over and over, Scarlett relies on her wits to maneuver her way out of predicament after predicament. And maybe some of her actions weren’t those of a lady playing nice (like marrying her sister’s beau) – but to her, the end result always justified her behavior. She took care of herself and her ‘folk’ with no apologies – and she made riches from it.

So, how does Scarlett’s smart and savvy personality relate to your business?

Your biggest client decides to quit working with you, for no apparent reason, leaving you with a huge income hole to fill. Your shopping cart bills your customers three times for a single purchase. Your virtual assistant decides to fly off for a spur-of-the-moment week away, leaving you with hours of admin nightmare to deal with.

There isn’t a businessowner around who hasn’t been surprised by these or similar challenges once they’ve been in business for awhile.

Yes, it would be nice to be prepared for all of our worst-case-scenarios with back-up procedures and the like, but please… especially if you’re the creative/idea type – who’s going to deal with all that detail for the ‘just in cases’? Not me…

When Scarlett turned that green velvet from drapery to dress, my heroine didn’t know she was carrying out a perfect example of exactly how to zig-zag your way very quickly from problem to solution:

Here’s how:

1. She stayed focused

Scarlett didn’t let herself get all spun up about only having one dirty dress to wear, picking cotton herself, or having no food to eat during the war that was going on around her. What she did was stay focused on the task at hand: saving Tara.

All the decisions she made and actions she took came from focusing on that single goal.

2. She quickly shifted priorities when necessary

Scarlett’s mantra of “I can’t think about that now. I’ll think about it tomorrow” kept her focused and on task, and allowed her to shift her priorities when necessary.

3. She was willing to fail quickly

Scarlett made a decision and took action. If things didn’t work out the way she wanted them to, she took stock, made another decision quickly, and took action again. By being willing to fail quickly, instead of trying to figure out and manage all the potential pitfalls beforehand, she was able to rebuild her life on her terms much more quickly.

POG Ads, also known as Pot of Gold Ads, can help you promote your business in line with Google Adsense or on their own. These are pay-per click advertisements that can help bring traffic to your site and/or increase page revenue. – WST

By: KC Morgan

There are a lot of online advertising opportunities out there. As a Webmaster, don’t you owe it to yourself (and your site) to explore the possibilities offered by them all? Is it possible that one of these advertising possibilities could lead you to a pot of gold? Find out how you can use POG Ads to promote your site and increase your page revenue.

Touted as a Google AdSense alternative or complement, POG Ads is a pay-per-click promotion model that allows you to earn revenue by placing ads on your pages, or advertise your site on other pages. Want to take advantage of both? When you use POG Ads to promote, you can create your own marketing campaigns and earn income from your site.

What Are POG Ads?

POG, or Pot of Gold, Ads (http://www.pogads.com/) is an advertising service that helps Webmasters use pay per click in one of two ways (or both ways at once). POG Ads is a standard pay per click model that’s widely used for online advertising. The site widely touts itself as an alternative to Google AdSense, or a complement to that program which can be used at the same time.

POG Ads, in fact, work the same way as Google AdSense. You can choose to use this service to promote your Web site through customizable advertisements you’ll create with POG Ads. These ads, promotions for your site, will appear on Web sites belonging to the POG Ads network which somehow boast content similar to yours. It’s very inexpensive to use POG Ads to create advertisements and have them subsequently displayed on different pages across the Internet.

When traffic clicks on your ads, it will cost you money. For each click, you’ll pay a predetermined amount as outlined in your agreement with POG Ads. Hence, pay per click. POG Ads also offers a full advertising service, where you’ll pay a monthly rate to have an ongoing Internet campaign that promotes your site.

Google AdSense offers yet another way to benefit from pay per click, and you can enjoy the same opportunity with POG Ads. If you want to earn money on Web site advertising instead of spending it, you might choose to use POG Ads in a different way. By agreeing to rent out space on your Web pages and placing ads on your site, you can earn money through pay per click instead of spending it. You’ll be providing valuable advertising space for other POG Ads users, and you’ll be earning income with your site. Every time a user clicks on one of these ads, you earn an amount determined in your POG Ads agreement. The amount may be small, but the clicks can add up on very popular pages.

You’ll only place a cut-and-paste code in your HTML editor once; from then on, the page has the potential to earn. If it sounds like very little work, you’re starting to get an idea of how easy it is to use POG Ads and other pay per click advertising models.

What are POG Ads? POG Ads are a way for you to earn money or bring in more visitors to your pages — an advertising program you can use to your advantage. Use POG Ads to promote, use them to create income or use them both ways to give your site an overall boost. Use this service to replace other programs, such as Google AdSense, or use them in addition to other services already in place on your site.

Understanding user-generated content and how it can both help and hurt you is a great asset to your business. Social media is a method of connecting with people, meaning providing your own user-generated content to communicate interest, link content and even share business ideas. This article explains the types of risks involved as well as how to protect yourself against negative content. This is important for every successful business online. – WST

By: Jeremy Gislason

User-generated content (or “Participatory Media” as some call it) can be a great way to boost the value of your website, and the traffic that’s driven to it. Many website owners have already found that developing online communities greatly increases their financial bottom lines. Sometimes, as has been the case with YouTube, user-generated content can even be a great business model in itself.

But user-generated content can also be a great source of risk and exposure. Again, there’s probably no better example of this than YouTube. YouTube was sued by the Viacom studio in 2007 for $1 billion in damages, for allegedly distributing Viacom’s copyrighted materials without permission.

If you understand the risks associated with user-generated content, you can take steps to reduce your exposure and protect your online assets, while at the same time increasing the value of your website.

What is User-Generated Content?

User-generated content is a broad term that includes any material that a website user posts on the website for others to see. This can include not only blog comments, but also pictures, videos, articles, or anything else that a user might post in a forum or bulletin board section of your website, or as part of their own personal profile on the website.

What are the Risks with User-Generated Content, and How Can I Address Them?

There are a number of legal issues that you will need to become familiar with if you permit or promote user-generated content on your website.

a. Intellectual property infringement. There are two primary types of intellectual property infringement issues that you should be aware of. The first is copyright infringement. Key elements of liability include knowledge of the infringing activity, inducing or contributing the improper conduct, and attaining a direct financial benefit in the infringing activity when you have the ability to supervise the direct infringer.

Copyright holders generally try to enforce their rights by means of “takedown notices” that are sent in accordance with the requirements a particular Federal law (the Digital Millennium Copyright Act). You’ll have to decide what position to take once you receive takedown notices. Do you evaluate each and respond notice as you feel appropriate? Or do you simply honor all takedown notices immediately? It’s a balance between avoiding legal risk of a lawsuit by those who claim to hold a copyright to the material that someone else posted, versus possibly alienating your users if you aren’t giving any consideration to their “fair use” rights in that content.

Trademark law prevents the use of trademarks of others in a manner that creates a likelihood of confusion about the source of goods or services or in a manner that dilutes the value of the trademark. User-generated content sometimes falls afoul of trademark law.

b. Defamation. You should also be aware that there is potential liability for allowing users to post defamatory statements about others on your website. There is a Federal law (The Communications Decency Act) which can provide some protection against defamation claims based on what your users do on your website, but the scope of the protection is still somewhat uncertain, so you should not ignore the possibility of claims against you based on user generated content.

c. Obscenity and Child Pornography. The Federal laws that provide protections to website owners generally exclude protections for obscene materials that appear on such websites, even if the materials are posted by users themselves.

How Can I Reduce My Risks?

One common technique for a website operator to reduce their risks of legal liability for user generated content is to not actively monitor the user activities on the website. While this may seem counter-intuitive, the relevant Federal laws provide a greater degree of protection (through a so-called “safe harbor”) for passive web services that do not actively manage or supervise user content.

It’s a great day when your brand name is strong enough to effect social change. This article explains Levi Jeans use of their brand name to promote HIV testing in South Africa. Levi’s effect on social change not only increased sales for the company, but also increased testing. The lesson here is to broaden the use of your brand. Be innovative! – WST

By: The Times (South Africa)

Companies are using their financial muscle to bring about change, writes Claire Keeton

LEVI’S uses the sex appeal of its products to sell safe sex and SABMiller SA uses taverns to teach men about responsible drinking in philanthropic programmes that benefit South Africans.

The irony of this is not lost on the leaders of corporate social responsibility programmes.

For many long-term business owners, tackling the web can be an intimidating and difficult task. It is important not to be discouraged by negative reviews by disgruntled customers, but rather to rise above and move forward in your marketing efforts. There are a few basic things to keep in mind when taking the step into the modern business world. Here are a few good tips that will keep your head on straight and your business making money. – WST

By: Jeremy Martin

The day you open your business you become vulnerable to the good and bad publicity you can get from either satisfied or dissatisfied customers. That is the price you pay to run a business. It happens to everyone regardless of what you do. Hopefully you are doing your best to please your customers and following through with the expectations you have given them. But when the unthinkable happens and you find a negative remark, blog post or complaint online there are steps you want to take.

Here are some of the “Do’s and Don’ts” of Managing Your Business’ Reputation Online.

Lets start with the Don’ts:

Don’t Panic. I know that is easier said that done but the last thing you want to do is lose your cool and try to retaliate. There is no reason for that. It often causes more damage than good.

Don’t immediately focus all your attention to the negative information you have found. It is important for you to have a plan or strategy. If you focus all of your time, money and effort on clearing your name then the rest of your business will go down the tube.

Don’t admit anywhere that you are wrong. Admitting any wrongdoing is not going to get your complaint removed from search results, blogs or forums. It can also cause further trust issues with existing or potential customers.

Don’t take your first negative publicity as a sign that your business is a failure. People that feel that have been wronged in any way are more likely to post the negative information about your company but chances are you have got 100 happy and satisfied customers for every one unhappy customer. Remember, you can’t always please everyone.

Now the Do’s:

Create a plan of action. If you notice a couple of negative reports or complaints listed on the first page of search results you have got to find a way to push them off the first page and get them as far down the results as you can. A few really great ways you can do this are by submitting a Press Release to various PR distribution sites such as PRWeb.comm, PR.com and PRnewswir.com.. You can start a new blog that is about your company’s products or services. Make sure you share the good information about your business such as favorable stats or testimonials. Join forums related to your niche and contribute useful, relevant information.

Use social networking as a way to build a bigger and better network. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, StumbleUpon and Digg are great because they such a deep user base. If you can get some buzz going about your business it will go a long way. People love to refer sites that are useful to them so make sure you have information that appeals to your target audience.

Do your best to resolve the issue with the dissatisfied customer. Sometimes it can be tough if they make the comments anonymously but do your best to find out who they are so you can take care of their concerns. If you try to reach out to them and resolve the issue publicly it shows that you are persistent and take your customer’s satisfaction seriously.

If your business is in the position to get certified through agencies like the BBB it can be beneficial to your credibility to potential customers.

We, online marketers, always talk about finding your niche or target market. One of the best ways to do so is through an understanding of human psychology and how people buy. Marketing to personality types will help you craft your website or media campaign effectively. This article details four main personality types and how they buy. Use this as a resource for how you want to position your product/services and brand. – WST

By: Ivan Strouchliak

We are all different. Some of us prefer to know every detail; others come to decisions in a matter of seconds. For you, authority may be the main deciding factor, while for others customer feedback is the main selling point. How do you know what your customer will respond to? This three-part series will explore how different kinds of customers approach their buying decisions based on their personality types, and how you can cater to what each type needs to know before they buy from you.

In this article I cover four main personality types. I will explain how those personality types view websites and make decisions, and how to craft a website to sell more effectively to each. This idea has been thoroughly explained and proved by FutureNow, owners of the marketing blog GrokDotCom.

Four Personality Types

No two people are identical. Everyone has talents, unique abilities and nasty hang-ups. There are, however, four personality types to which one can effectively market. Those personality types were tested over and again in design, copy writing and advertising, and experiments have proven that it is possible to raise conversion rates when these factors were applied appropriately. These personality types are not new, but were identified centuries ago.

Many of the great philosophers who have dabbled in theories about personality have identified four dominant temperaments. In 370 BC, Hippocrates identified them as Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic, and Melancholic. Carl Jung (1875-1961) called them Feeler, Thinker, Sensor, and Intuitor. More recently, David Keirsey identified Idealists, Rationals, Guardians, and Artisans. – Waiting For Your Cat To Bark

Small businesses need to wake up and get a website and market online. Even if you don’t have a website or aren’t ready for one, you can still use online marketing to boost your business. Google Local, also known as Google Maps, is a great way to get started. Index your business with Google, that way someone in your neighborhood looking for your products and services can easily find you. – WST

By: Laura Lake, About.com

When people search for the specialty that your business represents, do you show up in Google? Have you tried Googling either products that you sell or services that you offer lately? Did you show up on the front page of local search within Google? If not, you won’t want to miss this tip.